Battery connecter



F. E. HEATWOLE BATTERY April 20, 1937.

CONNECTER Filed May 8, 1935 Patented Apr. 20, 1937 PATENT OFFICE BATTERYCONNECTER Floyd E. Heatwole, Ballston, Va.

Application May 8,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to battery connecters and particularly toconnecters adapted to make a con-ducting path for electricity between aconductor cable and the pole piece of a storage battery.

An object of this invention is to produce a battery connecter which canreadily be installed on either an old conductor cable, the molded leadconnecter on which has been impaired by acid corrosion, or on a newconductor cable without the necessity of employing the soldering orsweating process.

Another object of this invention is to produce an article of manufacturewhich is adapted to prevent the formation of sulphate deposits andcorrosion due to acid vapor and the resulting disintegration of theconnecter.

A further object of this invention is to produce a useful article ofmanufacture the main body portion of which may be produced economicallyand to commercial advantage by die-stamping from sheet metal.

Still a further object is to produce an article of this kind havingabsorbent means adapted to be saturated with a corrosion preventingmedium, disposed at the point where corrosion begins.

Still a further object of this invention is the provision of novel meansfor securing the connecter to the cable in such a manner that the end isprotected in part by the original cable insulation from corrosion causedby acid fumes.

Still a further object of this invention is the novel arrangement ofparts so as to provide looking means adapted to prevent the clampingbolt from turning when wrenches are applied to the nut thereof.

With the above and other objects and advan tages in view, the inventionconsists in details of construction, and the arrangement and combinationof parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a storage battery showing theapplication of my improved connecter thereto in perspective;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the U-bolt in partial section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical elevation showing the U- bolt in cross-section;

Fig. 4 is a disassociated perspective view showing the elements indetail; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical elevation of a modification of theconnecter.

A detail description follows with reference to- 1935, Serial No. 20,493

the drawing in which like elements are referred to with like numerals.

In Fig. 1 is shown in dotted line a storage battery l, of theconventional type having a pole piece or terminal 2, adapted to receivea battery connecter for purpose of completing an elec tr'ic circuit withan electrical conductor or cable 3, having suitable insulation 4thereon. The main body portion of my improved connecter is preferablyformed from sheet metal such as iron, steel, copper, brass, lea-d, etc.,or their alloys by cutting, stamping or otherwise forming a. strap 5,the width of which is substantially the same as the height of the polepiece or terminal 2, and having adequate thickness to give it durabilityand sufficient rigidity. Where iron or steel is used as the materialfrom which the strap ii is formed, electrical conductivity may beincreased by coating or plating the connecter with lead, lead and tin,or copper. One end of this strap may be, by die-stamping or otherwise,formed into a substantially U-shaped yoke 6, conforming tothe contoursof the pole piece or terminal 2, of the storage battery. The members iand B of the U-shaped yoke 6 are provided, by drilling or punching, withholes or passages adapted to receive a bolt 9, which is inserted firstthrough the member 1 of the yoke then through the member 8 thereof andfastened in this position by a suitable nut I0, whereby the yoke may besecured in clamping engagement with the pole piece or terminal 2 of thebattery. It will be noted that the conformation of the yoke is such asto give maximum conduction of electricity between the pole piece orterminal 2 and the yoke 8.

The other end of the strap 5 is in the form of a lateral extension fromthe yoke member l and for purpose of illustration is shown disposed on aline which is parallel to the axis of the bolt 9. When used in themanner as illustrated the lateral extension serves as a lock for thehead of the bolt 9 thereby preventing the bolt from turning when awrench is applied to the nut H3 thereof. Obviously the lateral extensioncould make any desired angle with the yoke member 1 dependent upon thedisposition of the two elements to be connected thereby. Near the end ofthe lateral extension passage ways II and i2 are formed in the edges ofthe strap as shown clearly by Fig. 4, or they may be in the form ofholes l3 and I4, set in from the edges as shown by Fig. 5. Thesepassages are adapted to receive the legs of a U-bolt l5 which is securedin electrical conductive relationship to the strap 5 by means of a plate16 and suitable nuts ll. Where my invention is used in the form asdisclosed by Fig. 5 the plate I6 may be dispensed with.

Electrical connection is made between my improved battery connecter andthe electrical con- 5 ductor or cable 3 by cutting the insulation 4 onthe cable 3 and removing a section therefrom of sufiicient width thatthe U-bolt will contact the cable as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It will benoted that the insulation on that portion of 10 the cable extending fromthe U-bolt to and abutting the head of the bolt 9 has not been impaired,thus providing a protective covering for the cable against the attack ofacid Vapors and the corrosion resulting therefrom. This forms a veryimportant feature, among others, of my invention.

Experience has taught that the formation of corrosion sets in at thatpoint where the members of the yoke are clamped toward each other 0 by abolt or other suitable 'means around the pole piece or terminal of thebattery. Due to this fact the corrosion is usually worse at this pointthan at any other part of the connection and as a result it is alwaysdifficult and often impossible to remove the connecter from the polepiece 01' terminal without injuring the battery or the connecter. Toobviate this difiiculty I have provided my connecter with corrosionpreventing means consisting of a block of felt l8, shown in detail inFig. 4, adapted to be saturated with petrolatum, heavy lubricating oil,or other like substances which act to prevent corrosion. The felt block!8 having a passage I9 therethrough adapted to receive the bolt 9 isdisposed between the members i and 8 of the yoke in such a manner thatit may be squeezed between. said members so as to extrude the petrolatumover the bolt, connecter and pole piece or terminal.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention, it should be understood that I reserve the right to make suchchanges in the form, construction and arrangement of parts as will notdepart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A battery connecter comprising a sheet metal strap having one endbent to form a substantially U-shaped yoke adapted to fit over the polepiece of a storage battery, means for clamping said yoke to the polepiece, said strap being bent further in such a manner as to form alateral extension from the yoke, said extension having passages in theedges thereof adapted to receive the arms of a U-bolt, a U-bolt in thepassages, an insulated electrical conductor secured in electricalconductive relationship by said U-bolt to said lateral extension, saidconductor having an 0 insulated portion extending between said U-boltand the yoke whereby it is protected from the acid vapors from thebattery.

2. In combination with an electrical conductor cable, a storage batteryconnecter comprising a sheet metal strap having one end thereof bent toform a substantially U-shaped yoke adapted to conform to the contours ofa storage battery pole piece, clamping means for said yoke whereby saidstrap is secured in electrical conductive relationship with a storagebattery pole piece, said strap being bent further in such a manner as toform a lateral extension from the yoke and parallel with the aforesaidclamping means, said extension having passages in the edges thereof nearthe outer end adapted to receive the arms of a U-bolt, a U-bolt in thepassages, an insulated electrical conductor secured in electricalconductive relationship by said U-bolt to said extension, said conductorhaving an insulated portion thereof extending between the U-bolt and theyoke whereby it is protected from the acid vapors given off by thestorage battery.

3. In combination with an electrical conductor cable, a storage batteryconnecter having heavy current carrying capacity comprising a sheetmetal strap having one end thereof bent to form a substantially U-shapedyoke adapted to conform to the contours of a storage battery pole piece,said yoke having aligned openings through the members thereof adapted toreceive clamping means, clamping means for said yoke whereby said strapis secured in electrical conductive relationship with a storage batterypole piece, said strap being bent further in such a manner as to form alateral extension from the yoke and parallel to the aforesaid clampingmeans, said extension having passages in the edges thereof near theouter end adapted to receive the arms of a U-bolt, a U-bolt in thepassages, an insulated electrical conductor in electrical conductive relationship by said U-bolt to said extension and parallel thereto and inalignment with and abutting said clamping means, said conductor havingan insulated portion thereof extending between the U-bolt and the yokewhereby it is protected from the acid vapors given off by the storagebattery.

4. An article of manufacture comprising in combination a sheet metalstrap, one end of said strap having a yoke substantially U-shapedintegrally therewith, said yoke being in conformity with the contours ofthe pole piece of a storage battery, a clamping bolt through the arms ofthe U-shaped yoke, and a pad substantially saturated with ananti-corrosion chemical on the bolt between the arms of the yoke,whereby the anti-corrosion chemical is extruded over the strap and polepiece when the strap is clamped to said pole piece.

FLOYD E. HEATWOLE.

